Television

Always the Villains, Always…

The show has its own version of Lex Luthor in the guise of Maxwell Lord (played by Peter Facinelli). Lord is a wealthy industrialist-inventor very much in the Tony Stark/Iron Man vein. He’s also a hardcore libertarian who could have stepped right out of an Ayn Rand novel—he built a high-speed train, apparently without government subsidies. He is deeply distrustful and critical of government, explaining early in the series that his scientist parents died while following government-approved safety procedures that turned out to be inadequate. He doesn’t trust Supergirl and doesn’t think people should rely on her to keep them safe (the television show is tied to the most recent Superman movie, and Lord takes note of the tremendous destruction Superman’s fighting caused in Metropolis).

Via Supergirl Has a Libertarian Main Villain, and He’s Pretty Interesting @ Reason.com

Television: Pilot for “The Orson Welles Show”

What might have been, and even now, what’s compelling: The Fountain of Youth is a 1956 TV pilot for a proposed Desilu TV series (with a tentative title, The Orson Welles Show) which was never produced, and was subsequently televised once, on September 16, 1958 for NBC’s Colgate Theatre. The short film was directed by…

Friday Poll: Sharknado

No need for jokes about jumping the shark, when jumping from them is the very plot of the Syfy Channel’s upcoming July 11th original film, Sharknado. Here’s the trailer for the film: So, probable masterpiece or likely travesty? I’ll say masterpiece, but what do you think? Can’t wait… Sharknado: Probable Masterpiece or Likely Travesty?

Super Bowl Commercials

America saw an exciting Super Bowl last night, uncertain in outcome until the end. While the game wasn’t on, or the lights weren’t on at the Superdome, there were commercials to talk about. The full list of ads is posted at Super Bowl Commercials, and my favorite was the one for Sketchers (they’re really not…

Why the Latest GEICO Pig Commercial is Absurd

There’s a new commercial featuring Maxwell the GEICO Pig, in which he goes on a date with a pretty brunette. He’s driving, the car breaks down, and they find themselves stuck in the backwoods with nothing to do until a tow truck arrives. Although Maxwell suggests playing a computer game on his phone, his attractive…